The last week of May has been traditionally very good for vagrants along the Big Sur River in Andrew Molera SP. This year's season began with a Prothonotary Warbler and the first of two Baltimore Orioles on 26 May (Tim Amaral, Steve Rovell; male Baltimore photo'd 31 May, far right © Michael Rieser). The very best bird of the week was a Common Ground-Dove, found on 29 May (near right; photo near right © Kent Van Vuren). The ground-dove proved to be a one-day-wonder. This was the 8th MTY record but only the second in spring/early summer; there is a "mid-June" 1913 specimen from Castroville. So this is the first spring record in 101 years! Five late 20th century records are from fall — the most recent an injured bird picked up in Monterey on 18 Oct 1999 and taken to SPCA where it expired. Like Van Vuren's bird this week, all of them were present on just one day.

There were other rare-but-regular vagrants during the last week of May at Big Sur R. mouth, including a singing male Indigo Bunting (present several weeks) and a female 31 May, a couple Willow Flycatchers, a White-faced Ibis (rare at this spot), and the first returning Black Swifts. No wonder this rich site attracts birders from far and wide. In the chance encounter below, Rita Carratello's photo from the north headlands patch shows (L to R) Michael Rieser, Bill Hill, Steve Howell (most recently famed as senior author of Rare Birds of North America), Cooper Scollan, Don Roberson, and Brian Sullivan (kneeling with big lens).

A lovely adult Franklin's Gull, discovered by Robert Horn near Salinas on 25 May, delighted local birders for days (these photos, left and below, taken 28 May © Bill Hill). This gull is rare locally but in recent years 1-2 have been found in spring migration from late March to mid-June. Also interesting in late May were the presence of Long-billed Dowitchers (e.g., one in alternate plumage 26 May, below © D. Roberson), including 6 on 28 May (C. Scollan). These were quite late — there is only one June record for MTY (see Monterey Birds, 2d ed.).

A very unexpected yard bird in Pacific Grove on 17 May was this first-spring female Baltimore Oriole (left & below © Don Roberson). It was apparently attracted to the backyard fountain but stayed less than 60 seconds — but enough time to get off a couple of shots!

We generally do expect 1-2 Baltimores each spring, but usually several weeks later than this, and most often they have occurred at the Big Sur R. mouth. This was a first record for this P.G. yard.

By mid May, most small shorebirds have left. At one spot near Salinas, only three small Calidris were present on 15 May — but one was a scarce Semipalmated Sandpiper (right © Kent Van Vuren). Locally we average perhaps a half-dozen juvs each fall, but spring birds are decidedly rarer.

Yohn Gideon's Elkhorn Slough Safari trip observed an adult Laughing Gull along Elkhorn Slough on 8 May, and what was surely the same bird was along Jetty Rd., Moss Landing, on 9 May (Blake Matheson) and 10 May (Don Roberson/Rita Carratello, then m.ob., photo, right © D. Roberson) and later.

At the time Monterey Birds 2d ed. was published (2002), there were 11 MTY records of this southern gull, and 8 of those were spring overshoots (Apr-June). There have been at least 4 more since then (including this one), 3 of them in spring and most recently 6-13 Apr 2013 (a first-cycle individual). The most recent adult was one that moved up and down Elkhorn Slough from 3-28 Aug 2005.

A private yard in the general vicinity of Jamesburg with its 9 feeders was extraordinary for hummers. Between 31 March-15 April the owners hosted multiple Rufous, at least two Black-chinned, one male Costa's, and at least four different Calliope Hummingbirds! [photo above shows 8 hummers: 5 Anna's and 3 female Selasphorus, likely all Rufous, on 14 Apr; © D. Roberson. The owners wish to remain anonymous.]. Here are two Calliope Hummingbirds present on 14 April (one male, below left and same bird with Anna's, right; and a female, below right; © D. Roberson).

The Carmel Valley and Jamesburg feeders accounted for six Calliopes; another male was at bottlebrush in a private yard near Jacks Peak 28-30 Apr (Blake Matheson). Two more were found "in the wild"

• male at the edge of Tassajara Road at the old post office at Jamesburg (now another private residence) on 14 April (Rita Carratello, D. Roberson), and
• a displaying male along Indians Road, west of Memorial Park, on 20 Apr (Brian L. Sullivan, Cooper Scollan)

As there were almost no photos of Calliope Hummingbirds in MTY before this spring, I go a little wild here with photos. Note the diagnostic facial pattern of female Calliope: a small dark crescent in front of the eye, then a white line between that crescent and the bill which dips down to below the eye. Males also show this character. Calliope also has a very short, black tail (when viewed from above).

January 2014 was excellent for rare sapsuckers: at least three (3) Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and one Red-naped Sapsucker (and yet another Yellow-bellied and another Red-naped were reported by others in late Dec 2013).

The first was an adult male Yellow-bellied discovered on 2 Jan at Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley, by Rita Carratello & Carole Rose (below left, photo 2 Jan © C. Rose). It was seen in the same small Brazilian pepper tree as two different Red-breasted Sapsuckers. While both Red-breasteds were repeatedly seen thereafter, this Yellow-bellied remained elusive.

The next was a juvenal-plumaged Yellow-bellied Sapsucker along Holman Rd., Carmel Valley Village, on 7 Jan, found by Paul Fenwick (below middle, photo 10 Jan © Bill Hill). Looking for it on 9 Jan, Brian Sullivan saw not only only the youngster, but also an adult female Yellow-bellied in the same Brazilian pepper tree! (right, photo 9 Jan © Bill Hill).

To round out the month, Fred Hochstaedter & Catherine Webb found a Red-naped Sapsucker (perhaps a male but see small spot of white on chin, making this uncertain) in Shirttail Canyon, enroute to Pinnacles NP, on 25 Jan (below right, photo 24 Jan © F. Hochstaedter). It remained into February.

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